Theories of Counseling Summaries

Mariana Ruiz
Theories of Counseling and Psychotherapy: Systems, Strategies, and Skills

Based on the Textbook by Linda Seligman and Lourie W. Reichenberg

Alfred Adler and Individual Psychology Introduction Adler believed that childhood experiences can play an integral part in future development. He disagreed with Freuds emphasis on biological and physiological determinants of psychological development. Adler developed his own human development and psychotherapy called Individual Psychology. Adlerian therapy pays close attention to social context, family dynamics, and child rearing. He felt that in order to understand people, one must understand the knowledge of their goals and drives, their family constellation, their social contexts, and their lifestyles. -Socio: social interests -Teleo: people are driven by goals, this makes our behavior purposeful -Analytic: what determines the direction of peoples lives is unconscious and needs to be analyzed to bring goals and lifestyles into conscious awareness (like Freud) Theoretical Concepts View of Human Nature- Its not necessarily heredity and early upbring that matter, it is what we make of them. Humans will work to achieve meaningful and rewarding goals, along with a lifestyle that leads to a positive sense of ourselves, connectedness to others and satisfying work. The Importance of Feelings of Inferiority- Most children will feel inferior (small and powerless) compared to adults and older siblings. Children that work to close this gap, whether it is through social activities, building their strengths and weaknesses, are more likely to develop in positive ways. Children who are pampered or neglected will miss out. Family Constellation and Birth Order- By understanding the family constellation, we can see outlooks on life as well as family roles. Birth order includes o 1. Oldest children-tend to be the most successful and spoiled o 2. Second child- want to try and catch up to firstborn. Can be more creative and expressive. o 3. Middle child- can feel pressure by oldest and youngest, can feel neglected. Same characteristics as 2nd child. o 4. Youngest children- May be pampered and spoiled, may be in a need to go to the top with older siblings, may become discouraged about competing with siblings. Can be adventurous, sociable, get along best with the oldest. o 5. Only children- In common with 1 & 4, seek achievement, like attention, may be spoiled. Tend to be more mature. Lifestyle- Lifestyle is composed of four things: the persons subjective worldview (beliefs about self and others), goals, behavioral strategies that the person uses to achieve goals, and the outcomes or consequences of those behaviors. Goals- Viewed the healthy adult as independent and self-reliant. He sought to help people realize that issues are caused by our own faulty logic. He wanted to enable

people to become more aware of their faulty logic and create healthy, realistic, and rewarding goals. Social Interest- Believed that people wanted to belong to a group. Peoples social interest is best reflected in three tasks: occupation, love, and social interest (relationships, connectedness, and contributions to society). Phenomenological Perspective- The most important thing is understanding the persons own reality, not what others perceive.

Treatment Therapeutic Alliance 4 Stages of Treatment o 1. Establishment of collaborative therapeutic relationship and shared treatment goal Encouragement is essential o 2. Assessment, analysis, and understanding of the person and the problem Family Constellation and Birth Order Dreams Earliest Recollections Priorities and ways of behaving Summarizing findings. o 3. Encouragement of change through interpretation Need to be encouraging and challenging o 4. Reorientation by turning insight into action and focusing on assets rather than weaknesses. Clients can now view life from different perspective

Carl Rogers and Persons- Centered Counseling Introduction Carl Rogers emphasizes emotions the most. His theory is largely humanistic based. Humanism views people as capable of being independent and able to solve their own difficulties, realize their potentials, and change their lives in positive ways. The personcentered clinician seeks to build a relationship with clients that promote a deep selfunderstanding, enable them to become more authentic and actualized, and empower them to use their strengths and flourish. Rogers viewed clients as experts on their own lives. One of his greatest contributions has been teaching us to listen with caring and sensitivity. He criticized psychoanalytic/psychodynamic and behavioral therapy for their assumptions that the therapist knows best and giving clients directions. Thus, he created non-directive counseling where the clinician is there to help people express, clarify, and gain insight into their emotions. According to Rogers, therapists have three important tools: acceptance, reflection, and genuineness. Theoretical Concepts Humanism- Theories that focus on emotions rather than background or cognitions include client-centered, existential, Gestalt, emotion-focused therapy and others are humanistic. For Rogers, understanding, appreciating, and relating to others in positive ways was the goal. Common beliefs: o People should be viewed holistically o Each person has an innate self-actualization tendency o Humans have free will and are able to make choices o Because humans have free will and choice, they also have responsibility for those choices. Human Potential and Actualization- People have a right to their own thoughts, do not need to fit in a mold. They should be appreciated for themselves. Human potential is the inherent tendency of people to develop in positive ways that enhance and maintain themselves as well as humanity. People are naturally inclined to self-actualize, expand and grow. Just as plants need resources, Rogers believed that people also need the right conditions to enable them to evolve in holistic and unified ways. The therapist needs to provide the necessary conditions. Conditions of worth- childrens self-concepts are shaped by interactions with important people in their lives. If a child is always in a negative invironment, they will internalize criticisms they receive. Children with unconditional positive regard will flourish. Despite this, Rogers believed that people could change their selfconcepts for the better. Client-centered therapy aims to provide the climate of acceptance, free of conditions of worth, counteract negative messages and enable clients to complete freedom.

Organismic Valuing Process- refers to peoples innate ability to know what is important to them, what is essential for a more fulfilling life. Sometimes we ignore this to please each other. The Fully Functioning Person- Authentic people that can respond with congruence and honesty. A fully functioning person has: o Openness to experience o Living with a sense of meaning and purpose o Trust and congruence in self o Unconditional positive self-regard and regard of others o Internal locus of evaluation o Being fully aware in the moment o Living creatively Phenomenological Perspective- Understand that each person has his or her unique perception of the world. This perception determines the persons beliefs, behaviors, emotions, and relationships. Rogers wanted nothing but clients own experience to inform their treatment.

Treatment The Necessary and Sufficient Conditions of Therapeutic Process o 1. A relationship exists- two persons in a psychological contact o 2. The client is in a state of incongruence, which causes anxiety o 3. The therapist is congruent (genuine and authentic) in the relationship o 4. The therapist experiences unconditional positive regard for the client o 5. The therapist experiences or attempts to express empathy o 6. The therapists unconditional positive regard, empathetic understanding and congruence must be perceived by the client. Goals- facilitating trust and their ability in the present moment, promoting selfawareness, empowerment, optimism, responsibility, congruence, and autonomy. Not about solving solutions, rather creating a happier life. Therapeutic Alliance Facilitative Conditions o 1. Congruence- clinicians ability to be genuine and authentic, and aware or themselves o 2. Unconditional Positive Regard- clinicians ability to care about, respect, like, and accept people for who they are. They see people as doing the best they can at the present time. Must communicate acceptance so client can trust their thoughts. o 3. Empathy- entering the private perceptual world of the other and becoming thoroughly at home in it. Rogers viewed sensitive, accurate, and active listening as the most powerful force for change. Nondirectiveness- the client takes the lead and is the focus of the treatment process. Do not manipulate change, but provide the necessary resources to facilitate it.

Existential Therapy Introducation Existential therapy is more of a philosophy than a structured treatment system. It seeks to make people face the anxieties and uncertainties of life, make choices, and create meaning in their lives. Kind of like Rogers, but talks about love, death, suffering, and meaning. Existential therapy helps people become more actualized, make rewarding use of their potential and experience a deep connection with the world. The relationships between the client and therapist is fundamental in reaching this goal. Famous people: Victor Frankl (171), Rollo May (172), and Irvin Yalom (172). Theoretical Concepts Ultimate Concerns of the Human Conditiono Inevitability of death- we will all die o Isolation- we are all alone, we can only ever know ourselves o Meaninglessness- life is a random process o Freedom and responsibility- we can choose to make a meaningful life while we are here Existential and Neurotic Anxiety- these four concerns are experienced by everybody and they create anxiety. This causes us to recognize the need to accept responsibility for making our lives meaningful and worthwhile. Human Development and the Development of Emotional Difficulties- pay attention to whole lifespan development and view life as a process of creating our won histories, with each choice and phase shaping and contributing to the next. People are always becoming something new. Dasein- defined as being present, being in the world. We are responsible for our own existence. Potentials of the Human Condition- optimistic approach, all people have the potential to transcend those inevitabilities and its recognitions of peoples strengths including o Awareness o Authenticity o Freedom and Responsibility o Actualization o Making Meaning Treatment Goal- to help people find value, meaning, and purpose in our lives. To reach this goal, existential therapists help people confront their fears and anxieties about the four truths. Therapeutic Alliance- clinicians have a lot of responsibility. Their own values are a part of treatment. Self-disclosure is important. Clinicians are companions and coexplorers with clients.

Gestalt Therapy Introduction Encompasses many of the concepts of both existential therapy and person-centered counseling. Emphasizes the importance of the therapeutic alliance and is phenomenological, experiential, humanistic, and optimistic. The goal is to promote awareness through experience in the here and now. As people become more aware, they become more reconnected with parts of themselves they may have cut off. The present receive more attention than the past, and exploring and experiencing emotions and sensations are integral to treatment. Gestalt refers to a structured entity that is more than different from its parts. It is the foreground figure that stands out from its ground. According to this theory, people experience psychological difficulties because they have become cut off from important parts of themselves such as their emotions, bodies, or contacts with others. The purpose of Gestalt therapy is to help people become aware of these neglected and disowned parts and restore wholeness, integration, and balance. Created by Fritz Perls and his wife Laura. Theoretical Concepts View of Mankind- Perls had an optimistic view of mankind and thought all humans wanted to actualize themselves. Thought people were basically good and had the capacity to cope with their lives successfully, although he recognized that they sometimes needed help. Wholeness, Integration, and Balance- People cannot be separated from the environment nor divided into parts. Some people try to divide their personalities and cut off (ignore) parts of themselves. There needs to be equilibrium. o Integrating Polarities- to truly achieve wholeness, we must integrate our polarities, especially mind and body; or our neglected side will be a barrier towards our growth. o Integrating Figure and Ground- the world around us is the ground (background) and the foreground changes depending on our needs. We need to be aware of all of our surroundings, not just when we need them. o Ego Boundary- Identification, as with our parents, our bodies, and our jobs, brings those aspects of our lives into our ego boundaries. Alienation, on the other hand, from other people or parts of ourselves, leads us to put those aspects outside our ego boundaries. Perceptions play a major role in shaping our ego boundary. o Homeostasis versus Flux- Despite the flux (shifting) of figure-ground, ego boundaries, and polarities, through awareness of identification with all aspects of ourselves, we can deal successfully with flux and still have a sense of integration and wholeness. Awareness- is the essential element of emotional health. Preoccupation is one of the reasons we become less aware, we start worrying about our pasts, our fantasies, our perceived flaws or strengths, that we lost sight of the whole picture. Awareness is facilitated in Gestalt therapy by the use of experiments, a here-and-now focus, and

process statements. Therapists are not using reflective listening they are more concerned with non-verbals, body language, and recreating emotions here and now. Environment Contact to Promote Growth- Contact is made in seven ways: looking, listening, touching, talking, moving, smelling, and tasting. Some people avoid closeness. There are five levels of contact and growth (196): 1) Phony 2)Phobic 3) Impasse 4) Implosive 5) Explosive Layer. Treatment often involves helping people progress through the layers. Here and Now- when we are centered in the present, we are more likely to be congruent- to have our minds, bodies, and emotions integrated. Responsibility- place importance on accepting responsibility for our own lives rather than giving power away or blaming others. The Nature of Growth Disorders- in connection with people who deny or reject aspects of themselves and their environment, are not living in the present, are not making fulfilling contact with others, lack awareness, and are not becoming actualized.

Treatment Four Major Emphases o To pay attention to experience and become aware of and concentrate on the actual present situation o To maintain and promote the integrity and interrelationships of social, cultural, historical, physical, emotional, and other important factors o To experiment o To encourage creativity Goals- promoting attention, clarity, and awareness, helping people live in the here and now, and improving peoples sense of wholeness, integration, and balance How people change- they need to be made aware, pay attention to body and senses Therapeutic Alliance- Gestalt therapist create an I-thou environment. Clinicians must be aware of their beliefs and must establish a climate that promotes trust, awareness and willingness to experiment with new ways of thinking. Experiments- enactments, role-playing, homework, activities that are tailored to each client and promote positive growth. Use of Language- By choosing their words carefully, therapists create an environment that encourages change. o Emphasis on Statements- prefer statements over questions, I am experiencing a loss of contact between us rather than Where has your attention gone o What and How Questions- questions begin with what, how, where, NOT why. o I Statements- Encourage ownership of the statement I am angry not my mother made me angry. This helps focus on the present. o The Present Tense- encourage clients to focus on the present, not attach to the past.

o Encouraging Responsibility- people need to take responsibility for themselves, their words, their emotions, their thoughts, and their behaviors in order to facilitate integration. Dreams- way of integration, by having client role play each part of the dream. This puts client in charge of the process and allows them to take responsibility of the dream and see it as a part of themselves, increase integration, and become aware of thoughts and emotions reflected in the dream they may otherwise disown. Fantasy- can help clients become more self-aware and take people on a journey into their imaginations. o Role-Play Using Empty Chair Methods Two Chair Method for Addressing Inner Conflict- Client takes turns sitting in each chair representing to conflicting sides. The Empty Chair Method for Addressing Unfinished BusinessClient visualizes someone in the chair with whom they had unfinished business. They then express their thoughts and concerns to the chair. The Body as a Vehicle of Communication- pay attention to the messages of the body o Identification- Notice any reactive body part. o Locating Emotions in the Body- have them locate their emotions in their body. o Repetition and exaggeration-have client exaggerate movement and talk about how it makes them feel.